


Sugar and salt

by kyraensui



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Childhood Friends, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Hanahaki Disease, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Allura/Lance (Voltron), Romantic Friendship, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 15:16:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14595849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyraensui/pseuds/kyraensui
Summary: Prompts: I really truly deeply love the hurt/comfort trope like that's my biggest weakness (physical hurt/comfort especially with injuries or illness) combined with PROTECTIVE TROPE! I'll accept either Keith or Lotor getting hurt. I also love Fairytale AUs and Royalty AUs... Soulmate AUs are cool too! You could do the Hanahaki Disease trope too! I don't care if it's Keith or Lotor who gets infected! Modern AUs are fine or you can do Canon AUs! Doesn't matter![Keitor Exchange 2018 fic]





	Sugar and salt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Val_Creative](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Creative/gifts).



> Author's note: This is for nooowestayandgetcaught on tumblr. 
> 
> This one had given me many ideas and deserves more than the minimal 1k limit. I hope it does justice to your prompt. I actually wrote two, but decided on this one. <3
> 
> _**Italics**_ represents the past.

_It was only a childish promise. An unusual promise to make between two little boys, but one held more close to his heart than the other. One boy was two years older than his smaller counterpart, but just right size to carry like a cat whenever he gets into mischief._

_He gave the other boy a small matching necklace to wear. Not a typical kind of matching necklace with hearts or circles. It was a small sword broken in two for the boys to wear one-half of it._  
  
_"When we grow up, let's be together forever!"_

_"Okay!"_

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
**[15 years later]**

 

Keith was fidgeting with his jacket's sleeve and looking at his sport watch as he tapped his foot on solid ground. He had waited for a good hour for an idiot to hand over a manuscript as it was long overdue for the publication's deadline. He should have opted for a different job instead of being an editor to idiot novelist who cannot seem to grasp about deadlines.

He should have drag the idiot to the office and locked him inside until the manuscript was done. The idiot was becoming canny with his disappearing act to avoid his editors. He was not having it this time with how highly publicized the novel was going to be.

Now only if he can get the stupid Cuban novelist be here on time, then he wouldn't have resort a reliable underhand method to make him work fast. After all, he had work the idiot for several years now and still feels like it was the tip of a tanned iceberg.

He gave an exasperate sigh.

The manuscript has potentials to win many awards with how Lance wrote in this one. This one was considered personal to the novelist, and Keith was the only one who know the real content behind all the cinnamon sugar laced words.

The new novel has hit him hard too.

A story about the main lead struck with Hanahaki Disease where flowers will grow slowly or rapidly inside their body with vines wrapping dangerously around delicate organs and crushing their insides. Depend on the person's emotions, different flowers will grow one by one until it kills them.

To remove the flowers, their feelings of their intended soul mate have to be reciprocated. If not, they will die.

However, there is a way to remove the flowers without death, but it will be more painful than death. It would be to lose the feeling forever. To never love again with the same person ever and beyond.

In Keith's opinion, it was bleeding too much of angst, but Lance's readers seems to drink up and then pour more tears. He swears he had never seen people be so emotional in reading something so rich in pain with sprinkles of comfort. The ending had left with a bittersweet aftertaste.

He can complain all he wants with Lance about the novel, but to him, it has hit closer to his heart too.

He understands Lance's and main lead's pain of falling for someone who they considered friends until a pricky ting can be felt in their hearts.

There was one small difference between them and Keith's situation. Keith had known the person since they were young.

He had---  
  
"God damn it Lance! You are an hour late!" Keith yelled as he watched the Cuban novelist sprinting towards him and going out of breath when he stopped.

"Traffic." He panted with each words. "And I wanted to look nicely for tonight's event."

His violet eyes softened from the underlining pain in Lance's words when he spoke about tonight's event.

He wasn't the only one who have to attend with such pain. Keith will be attending too.

Keith flicked his fingers at Lance's forehead with a tiny smile.

"Well, you won't be alone."

Lance huffed, but returned the tiny smile. "Yeah. You're right. We did promise for a drink afterwards."

"Yeah. To drink up and forget the pain before we die."

The tragic end of the story is the main lead remains alive, but became nothing more than a shell of its former self. The love of life found happiness in someone else.

It becomes more tragic when it was real.

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
_His eyes went bright and big as he looked up at the clear, night sky with his mouth shaping into an 'o' several times. His eyes trailing at the fleshy pointer as he listened contently for the given appearance of the constellations._

_"And that one is you, Keef."_

_"Me?"_

_The older boy nodded. "You born in October 23rd, Keef. That means you are a Libra."_

_"What's a Libra, Rootow?"_

_The boy hummed. "A sheep?"_

_Little Keef's nose scrunched up. "I'm no sheep!"_

_"But you are cute like a baby sheep, though!"_

_"You mean! Your hair looks like a sheep."_

_"Do not!"_

_"Do too!" Little Keef stuck out his tongue._

_"Well, this big sheep will baaa your little butt."_

_"Beeeeeeeeh~~" as Little Keef ran off giggling with Little Rootow chasing him while making the sheep sounds._

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
"Don't." as Keith took a step back. "Please don't."

"Keith."

Keith shook his head. "Don't, Lotor. This is not right."

"My little hippo."

His emotions and body have betrayed him. He can feel a small wetness gliding down one side of his face. It hurts to hear his old nickname. To hear his old nickname in a soft, hurt voice of the person he began to fall for.

"It wasn't supposed to come out like this. Our future."

Another step back.

"Please Lotor. No more. Speak no more."

The more Lotor spoke about the future, the more it hurts knowing Keith will not be a part of that told future.

"I don't want to lose you."

He can feel it restricting his chest. It was getting harder breathing each time Lotor closes the gap between them. It hurts him more to hear Lotor's soft pleas.

It has to be done. Lotor's future had far more impact and importance than their childish promise.

"You will be happier with Allura."

A stab into his stomach.

"Stop it, Keith."

He has to leave soon. Lotor will find out sooner before his engagement.

"You two are match-made in heaven."

This time, it was his right kidney. He wondered if that's how females feel when they are on their menstrual cycle.

"I said stop, Keith."

Lotor took a step forward to match.

"You don't need---"

Keith's body trembled violently and immediately, he slammed himself back to the wall when Lotor slammed both hands on the wall. He was boxed in with Lotor towering and glaring down at him.

"Don't even finish that sentence."

_Infuriate._

Keith can sense it. He can taste it. Even more, he can feel it radiating towards him.

He can't take it anymore.

He pushed Lotor away.

Another pile of pink petals formed onto his hand as he slumped down on the cold tile floor of his bathroom and hugged his legs. He refused to hug his favorite stuffed hippo as it was a gift from Lotor when he turned nine.

 

 

* * *

 

  
_"I want it!"_

_“But it's big and pudgy."_

_"No!" Little Keef shook his head. "It's cute. Cuter than you, Rootow."_

_Rootow gasped. "I refused that! That water pig is NOT cuter than me!"_

_Little Keef giggled. "Water pig! Water pig! I want one!"_

_"You have me, Keef. You do not need that water pig."_

_Little Keef blinked and turned to Rootow. "But you, not water pig. You my star sheep."_

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
"How you are feeling, Keith?" Lance whispered as they stood together behind the huge crowd.

Keith shrugged. "No better than what I have to deal with you for deadlines."

Lance chuckled. "Touché."

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for coming here. It is great pleasure to see all those close to my daughter and her fiance on this special evening."

He covered his mouth and suppressing back his cough. He does not need to make a commotion nor let anyone see him coughing out flower petals even though it matches the engagement theme.

"Their joint union will not only bring happiness, but a brighter future for the both."

It became unbearable to listen as time goes by. It was near the end of the speech when Lance and Keith quietly slipped away to their separate destination.

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
_"It's so pwetty and difurent." as Little Keef's nose scrunched up when he tried saying big words._

_"Mommy made it and told me to give the other half to someone special."_

_"Your daddy?"_

_"No, you silly! I want to give this to you."_

_"Me?" Little Keef's eyes widen. "Me special to Rootow?"_

_"Yes. I read that if I give something special to someone I like, it means we can be together forever."_

_"Me forever with Rootow?"_

_Rootow nodded._

_Little Keef gave his biggest smile and pounced on Rootow to hug._

_"Yay!!!"_

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
He slumped down near the toilet as he was unable to support his body with every batch of petals coughing out. At least, he was smart to wear his dark maroon dress shirt for this day. Too bad his hands are now deeply stained in crimson.

It was getting cold by the seconds, and his eyes were becoming heavy to stay open.

"Pretty sad to go out like this. A pretty boy dead in a men's restroom stall with flowers burst out from his chest." He chuckled dryly."At least, I can get another chance. I hope so."

Keith had gone to see his doctor many times when the symptoms first showed. On each visit, his doctor would push Keith to let him operate the flower core out of his body and live. He refused every time until recently when his will began to waver after encountering Lotor with Allura together in smiles.

He was pretty sure he was about to give in until the doctor told him before signing the consent.

  
  
_"You will lose everything you cherished about the person from here on out. Nothing more than a complete stranger when you meet the person even if the person remembers you."_

  
  
He stood up and walked off from his doctor's office. He never went back seeing the doctor since then.

He didn't want to forget about Lotor. It felt his whole life revolved around Lotor like how the planets are with the Sun. Lotor was the Sun and Keith was Planet Pluto.

His head felt heavy and tilted more to the left. It was better to let it go than fight it. It would become less painful than prickly vines twisting and wrapping around his intestines. His hands slipped away as he lost the energy to support himself.

He was ready to meet his maker. To drown himself first before the flowers had its chance to strike.

Nothing wet came. Instead, he felt someone pulled him away and squeezing his body like a snake.

"You idiot!"

Keith blinked slowly. The voice sounds familiar, but it sounds muffled.

"You stupid! My stupid little Keef!"

_No_ , his thoughts went into a frenzy along with his body as he pushed the person away. It was only a foot between them when the person pulled him back with even stronger embrace.This cannot be happening. Keith did not want Lotor to see him like this. Not in this state nor to know he had the disease.

"I told you I do not want to lose you!"

Keith gave another blink before closing his eyes completely. His nose gave one last sniff of Lotor's unique scent to remember.

This was slightly better, but very cruel to die in Lotor's arms than in the toilet stall.

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
_Lotor's eyes were like a hawk as he watched the faint silhouette of Keith in the back. His red shirt was the only vibrant indicator where he was hiding._

_He had a strong feeling of dread looming over his heart and mind. Something he felt over the last months with Keith being distant._

_The last few weeks have been the worst. Keith had look more paler and tired than before. His usual vibrant violet eyes that Lotor loved to look at went duller and loss of its light. He felt Keith was slowly fading away and right now, it would be much sooner than he did not wish for._

_He stood immediately the moment Keith left from his line of sight._

_"Lotor?" as Allura stood up also and placed her hands on his arm._

_He turned to look at her. "You know what we have to do now, Allura. We cannot stall this any longer."_

_She nodded. "Yes. Even I refused to lose who I truly love the most like this. Why do we care for our idiots so much?"_

_He smiled. "Because they give us the most happiness. Thank you, Allura."_

_"Go. He needs you as I am needed with another idiot." as she gave a small peck on Lotor's cheek. "There is a much better way for our family alliance than marriage."_

_He nodded and returned the kiss on her cheek. He loosens his tie and sprinted after his childhood friend and love._

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
"You idiot." as Lotor's fingers brushed away raven strands from Keith's sleeping face. He laid on his side and resting his head on his folded arm over the pillow. "How can you keep this kind of importance from me? Do you really want to leave me like that? I would expect cruelty from others, but not you."

His fingers stroked gently over soft cheek.

"I care for you. I love you, Keith."

He sighed.

"I was going to tell you on the day of my engagement that Allura and I were going to break off our arranged marriage as she was also in love with someone. How interesting to find out it was that novelist you were with was Allura's first love."

His eyes trailed with his tracing fingers until it landed something cold and hard around the neck. His smile went soft.

It was the other half of their necklace. A necklace he gave Keith when they were little and the promise that came with. He felt joy to know that Keith continued to wear it even after he told him the heartbroken news about his engagement to Allura by his parents.

He cannot forget Keith's devastation in his violet eyes when it did not show in his body expression. A few days later after the new were when he noticed the subtle changes in Keith's health and unusual occurrence of flower petals left behind when Lotor quietly followed him.

Lotor had to tell Allura about it. She was a stunning and understanding woman. He should be grateful to be engaged with her, but no matter what, he cannot forget his little Keef. The one who loves hippos more than the stars. It was then he knew she had similar problems like him except she came to love the novelist through his cheesiest method of winning her heart. It was through his books that won millions of reader's heart, but Lance only wanted one. It was Allura's.

Luckily, she was able to save her idiot too when she gave him an update over the phone. It seems her parents were more understanding to her wishes. As for his parents, they were calling their own son an idiot since he didn't 'man up' to tell them about his 'promise engagement' with Keith. He was afraid what his parents think about their own son liking another man, but apparently, Keith was an exception to their eyes.

"My little Keef." A gentle kiss on Keith's cheek with his nose nuzzling against the smooth skin. "My little hippo."

"Baa..." The sound came out weaker and softer.

Lotor chuckled softly and kissed Keith's cheek again. "Baa to you too."

Lotor's smile soften more when he felt warm and crushing against his chest with content sounds of a baby sheep. It wasn't a baby sheep. Just his little Keef he knew and loves for so long.

And it was not too long ago that Lotor was at a hair strand close in losing his one true soulmate.

A small yelp can be heard between them when Lotor hugged Keith tight and close to his chest and rolled on his back with Keith on top of him. There was some wiggling movement above him, but he kept the small man from sliding off.

Instead, Lotor got a small cat curling up on his chest. He smiled and gave a quick kiss on Keith's head.

"Lotor..." Keith's voice came out soft, and he was nibbling his lower lip. "I'm sorry."

Lotor let out a huge sigh which blew a few raven strands. "If you are sorry, then you can make it up for me."

"Which is?" He asked curiously.

"You owe me a lifetime of cuddles and kisses."

"We're not kids you know."

"Yes, well. I am speaking more of an adult version of cuddles and kisses."

Keith's body felt warm especially on his cheeks as he instinctively cover his face. Lotor chuckled with amusement as he released his hold on the small man and went to grab their soft blanket. With quick movement, he pulled the blanket up and covered over their bodies as Lotor went to demonstrate his adult way of cuddles and kisses privately.

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
_"Rootow! Rootow!" as Little Keef bounced up and down like he was a heavily sugar-induced except he doesn't like to eat sweet. "Look look! I can see shining things falling from the sky!"_

_"Those are meteor showers, Keef." with Rootow held Little Keef in his arms as they sat together. "If we get lucky, we might see a shooting star too."_

_"Ooh!" Little Keef's eyes sparkled. "What if we see one?"_

_"Make a wish. Any wish we want to make."_

_"Really?! I wish to be with you forever~!"_

_Rootow laughed. "Not yet, Keef! We haven't seen one yet. Let's keep an eye out."_

_"Okay! But I am keeping my wish."_

_Both children laughed and giggled._

_"When we grow up, let's be together forever then!"_

_"Okay!"_

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! <3


End file.
